With mounting pressure, Billy Napier likely remains with Florida Football past 2024

As the 2024 college football season approaches, Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier finds himself facing mounting pressure from an impatient fanbase. With an 11-14 record over his first two years and no bowl appearance in 2023, doubters are growing louder in Gainesville.

Add in an ongoing NCAA investigation surrounding the recruitment of Jaden Rashada, and it's easy to see why Napier's seat appears hot entering year three of his $51.8 million, seven-year contract.

However, a closer look suggests Napier remains firmly entrenched as the Gators' head coach moving forward, with 2024 shaping up as a pivotal year for the program's trajectory under his leadership.

For one, the financials indicate a coaching change would be an expensive proposition for Florida. Napier's contract is set up so that he is owed 85% of the money that still remains on his contract if he is fired. As it stands right now, Napier's buyout would cost the university roughly $26 million if he were fired after this season without cause. Such a hefty price tag makes dismissing him an improbable outcome, barring a complete on-field meltdown.

More importantly, Napier's staff overhaul and recruiting efforts give reason to believe that brighter days are ahead in Gainesville. He overhauled his defense staff, bringing in veteran Ron Roberts to accompany Will Harris and Gerald Chatman, two young but no-nonsense coaches in their own right. If the defense makes any kind of improvement in 2024, wins will follow.

And Florida has a roster good enough to win this season. As we have been pointing out the last couple of weeks, Pro Football Focus has had scores of Gators make a variety of top ten lists for their respective positions.

Yes, Florida's schedule is brutal and that has been well documented. That brutality can be a blessing as much as it is a curse because if Florida can even go something like 7-5, it would have just enough quality wins on it to save Napier.

And if Napier can make it past this season, his 2024 recruiting class ranked in the top 10 nationally, headlined by elite quarterback DJ Lagway and defense end LJ McCray. Such an influx of talent provides reason for optimism that results will soon follow Napier's rebuilding work.

Simply put, athletic director Scott Stricklin and Florida's administration seem prepared to stay the course and allow Napier's blueprint time to take shape. The coach's body of work prior to UF, including success at Louisiana, instills faith that patience could pay off.

Undoubtedly, 2024 carries enormous weight for Napier's long-term tangible progress, be it a return to bowl eligibility or simply an upward trend in performance, which is a must to quiet restlessness.